Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128383
FIM World Trials Championship Series efending World Trials Champion Takahisa Fujinami might have experienced a bit of Deja vu after claiming the overall win at round four of the 2005 World Trials Championship Series held in Duluth, Minnesota. After all, it was at this same venue last year, under similar conditions, that the likeable japanese rider took control of the series points standings by claiming the overall win from teammate and seven-time World Trials Champion Dougie Lampkin. It was clearly a watershed moment for FUjinami, as it eventually led to his first-ever World title after finishing runner-up in the series for the previous five years. At this year's Duluth round, the Montesa-mounted Fujinami once again took over the series points lead with an overall win, and just like last year, he surpassed Lampkin in the process. Fujinami finished a close second to Lampkin in Saturday's grueling event, which was remarkably similar to last year's first day as torrential rains made the sections very difficult and forced much of the course to be revised or thrown out. Then, after battling early on with Sherco-mounted Albert Cabestany during Sunday's event, Fujinami held on in a downpour to take a fIVe-point win over the Spaniard, while Lampkin nursed his way to the final step of the podium after suffering a major crash on the opening lap. The 2-1 finish gave Fujinami the overall win and vaulted him into first place in the series standings with D 96 points, while Lampkin and Cabestany sit in a tie for second with 94 points each. The series has now seen a new points leader after each of the first four rounds. Fujinami, who is finally coming to terms with his four-stroke HRC-engined bike after a dismal indoor season, got off to a slow start in this year's outdoor season, taking fifth in the opening one-day event held in Portugal. He added fourthand fifth-place finishes in Spain and held fifth in the standings going into his home round in japan. Meanwhile, the two Spaniards, Cabestany and Gas Gas younggun Adam Raga, had gotten off to much better starts and held down the top two positions in the race for the 2005 title. However, just when the pundits had written Fujinami out of the 2005 Championship, the 26-year-old finally found his form and claimed his first win of the season, on familiar turf at his home . GP in japan, moving him back into the title hunt going into the U.S. round. Heavy rains during the early morning hours in Duluth left Saturday's course extremely slippery and swelled the stream that runs through the lower portion of the course, forcing the organizers to simplify 12 of the 15 sections prior to the start of the event. Lampkin, who thrives in slippery conditions, completed the first lap nine points better than Fujinami, 29-38, while Betamounted youngster Toni Bou, Sherco's Graham jarvis and Cabestany all came in with 4 I-point totals. Raga, who had been one of the preseason favorites to challenge